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Frostpunk 2 | Review Thread

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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Game Information

Game Title: Frostpunk 2

Platforms:
  • PC (Sep 20, 2024)
Trailer:
Developer: 11 bit studios

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 84 average - 95% recommended

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Metacritic - 85 average based on 49 Critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews


33bits - Fernando Sánchez - Spanish - 92 / 100
Frostpunk 2 is a continuous game with its first installment, although the developer has been able to expand and enhance a formula that worked wonderfully in Frostpunk - construction and management of cities plus survival - delving into expansion, management, and colony construction. and above all the relationships with the different factions and the political aspect, creating a much more complete title and to a certain extent somewhat more complex, but superior to its predecessor. If you liked the first game or you like the genre, Frostpunk 2 is a title that you cannot miss.


ACG - Jeremy Penter - Wait for Sale
Video Review - Quote not available


AltChar - Semir Omerovic - 97 / 100
Frostpunk 2 is an absolutely incredible game, a true shining masterpiece with a unique setting, mechanics and addicting gameplay loop. Since it's also on Game Pass, I'm recommending it even to players who aren't really into these types of games. You won't regret it.


Atarita - Eren Eroğlu - Turkish - 100 / 100
Frostpunk 2 is one of those rare, unique games that we rarely encounter. It has evolved in an incredible way compared to the first game, taking it to an entirely new level.


Bazimag - Sina Golabzade - Persian - 9 / 10
Frostpunk 2 may not feel as personal as the previous game but it not only has kept the tense atmosphere we’ve come to expect from this series, it has also brought the scale to a whole new and unexpected level.


But Why Tho? - Arron Kluz - 9 / 10
What is most impressive about Frostpunk 2 is how well it blends its emotional narratives with its gameplay mechanics. It challenges the player on an emotional and moral level while also challenging them to grapple with some of the most intricately linked and well-refined gameplay the strategy genre has seen in years.


CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 8 / 10
Frostpunk 2 expands on what made the original so fresh. While a harsh difficulty might turn some players off, forging through is the name of the game in Frostpunk 2.


COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 90 / 100
Frostpunk 2 broadens the scope and deepens the mechanics of the first game, adding even greater complexity to puzzle-like city building that remains addictive and unique in the genre.


Cinelinx - Emily Hughes - 5 / 5
Frostpunk 2 has made improvements in just about every way, making it an immersive and engaging city-builder that every strategy lover should consider adding to their library!


Digital Trends - Jason Rodriguez - 4 / 5
Frostpunk 2 scales up the drama with a bigger, more strategic sequel that's easy to get lost in.


GAMES.CH - Steffen Haubner - German - 88%
The announcement of an official modding tool alone is likely to bring tears of joy to the eyes of "Frostpunk" fans. The setting remains attractive, the artwork and gameplay are equally clever, even if the novelty value has worn off a bit. But everything is now bigger, more complex and more impressive, and it is remarkable how smoothly 11 bit has interlocked the various elements and made them shine. There is always something to do in "Frostpunk 2", even if the feeling of a living game world, as one is used to from "Anno 1800", is missing here simply because of the thematic requirements. Anyone who wants an extraordinary experience and some real gaming challenges will feel at home in the eternal ice.


GRYOnline.pl - Konrad Sarzyński - Polish - 7.5 / 10
Frostpunk 2 is different that its predecessor. It too experiments with gameplay and tries to create a thrilling system of making difficult decisions, but the bigger scale of governing an entire region looks a bit uninished. Great potential to create a giant world was squandered, and the thing that generates most fun, is the policital system, not building your city.


Game Rant - Max Borman - 4.5 / 5
Frostpunk 2 has once again whisked players away to an apocalyptic Earth for a city building experience that many may not soon forget.


GameLuster - Nirav Gandhi - 9 / 10
Frostpunk 2 is a masterpiece of design, and it'll be a warm day in Frostland before I let a single one of you skip it.


GameMAG - Russian - 8 / 10
Frostpunk 2 remains quite brutal, and yet offers a great city-building gameplay with a very stylish visuals. You can also clearly see in which ways developers addressed some of the criticism of the first game, making the sequel that much better game.


GameSpot - Kurt Indovina - 8 / 10
Frostpunk 2's challenging gameplay makes for a compelling experience despite a dour and cynical view of human nature.


Gameliner - Anita van Beugen - Dutch - 4 / 5
Frostpunk 2 offers a robust survival city-builder with a strong focus on social and political aspects, appealing to newcomers and fans alike, though it may leave existing fans with mixed feelings due to its broader scope and diminished focus on individual connections and survival.


Gamer Guides - Ben Chard - 86 / 100
Frostpunk 2 is a great entry into the city-survival genre and one that will hook even newcomers to the genre. With a fantastic campaign full of difficult choices, a sandbox mode available from the start, and so many options on how you shape New London, the larger scale of Frostpunk 2 is one that succeeds in every way.


Gamersky - Chinese - 8.7 / 10
If Frostpunk 2 continues to provide players with more playable content in the future, like its predecessor, then it will definitely be a better title than it is now.


God is a Geek - Chris White - 9 / 10
Frostpunk 2 requires your patience and ability to make tough decisions, but rewards you for sticking with it and respecting its systems.


IGN - Dan Stapleton - 8 / 10
Thanks to a ground-up rethinking of its ice-age city builder mechanics, Frostpunk 2's larger scale is less intimate but more socially and politically complex than the original.


INVEN - Dongyong Seo - Korean - 8 / 10
'FrostPunk 2' has an irreplaceable charm. The distinct feelings of bleakness, solitude, and the desperate struggle for survival remain unparalleled, just as in its predecessor. The larger scale of the city, the conflicts arising between communities within, and the weighty decisions required to manage and mediate these tensions create a unique and engaging experience.


PC Gamer - Christopher Livingston - 85 / 100
Not as satisfying a city builder as the original, but the society simulation is still on point.


PCGamesN - Reid McCarter - 8 / 10
Frostpunk 2 makes clever reconsiderations of, and expansions on, the first game's design, offering a better rounded, even harsher follow-up to the original's concept.


Prima Games - Enzo Zalamea - 9 / 10
Frostpunk 2 easily immerses the player by putting them in the center of the turmoil of a never-ending battle against the winter. You'll constantly be hit with difficult decisions all while trying to build structures for the betterment of your people.


Pro Game Guides - Stephanie Watel - 4 / 5
In the world of city-builder games, the Frostpunk franchise stands proudly at the snow-capped peak of Mount Everest in terms of what definitively is the most all-around challenging IP in the genre. Frostpunk 2 easily helps it keep that title in a tight-gloved fist, with its incredibly intricate game design and uncompromising difficulty that is best suited for the most fearless and ambitious of Stewards.


Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Sin Vega - Unscored
An atmospheric, bold attempt to reinvent its own society-moulding subgenre whose story and building features too often frustrate with too few options or distract with too many.


SECTOR.sk - Branislav Kohút - Slovak - 8.5 / 10
A post-apocalyptic world with an eternal winter will once again entrust us with the fight for the survival of the survivors, whose fate will this time be strongly influenced by civil factions. A complex system of voting and negotiation is involved, which makes the game unique, but also challenging and sometimes frustrating.


Screen Rant - Deven McClure - 4 / 5
Frostpunk 2 is an innovative take on management.


Sirus Gaming - Erickson Melchor - 8 / 10
Frostpunk 2’s emphasis on intensity and foresight makes it a worthy sequel to the first game. While it treads well-worn paths, the game takes everything we’ve come to expect from the series and expands upon the idea in every way possible. I highly recommend the game for fans of the series. First-time players may find it too daunting but that’s all part of the Frostpunk experience.


Spaziogames - Daniele Spelta - Italian - 8.5 / 10
Frostpunk 2 puts its gameplay at the service of the story and, through simple game mechanics, manages to make the player experience strong emotions and a constant moral dilemma.


TechRaptor - Andrew Stretch - 7 / 10
Frostpunk 2 takes everything that made the first game challenging and scales it up. Bigger cities, more mechanics, and larger expansions will push a player's ability to balance so many resources and the consequences of their own actions. Overcoming these will reward you with an immense sense of pride.


The Punished Backlog - Amanda Tien - 8.8 / 10
11 Bit Studios should be extremely proud of Frostpunk 2; it’s an intoxicatingly detailed and beautiful survival management game. For those who do want more Frostpunk, Frostpunk 2 delivers and then some. Fans of games like Crusader Kings 2 will rejoice, and these added social elements may delight fans of Sid Meier’s Civilization series.

The array of laws and choices means Frostpunk 2 is hyper-replayable, for those interested in that sort of thing. Just a glance at the Steam Achievements list makes it clear that there’s a lot you can do and different approaches you can take. I’m already considering what I’ll do next time.


TheGamer - Tessa Kaur - 4.5 / 5
Frostpunk 2 has shaped up to be a hefty sequel that built intelligently on the bones of its already excellent predecessor, capturing all the most compelling parts of the first game while exploring human nature and morality with deftness.


Try Hard Guides - Erik Hodges - 10 / 10
Frostpunk 2 does exactly what a sequel should do. It excels in all the ways the original game did while increasing the scale and adding even more. It is an excellent expansion on everything we loved about Frostpunk and delivers a new, utterly unique experience and story, and one that fans of the original, as well as newcomers to the franchise, are sure to love.


Twinfinite - Keenan McCall - 4 / 5
While it might not be the most approachable city builder in the world, Frostpunk 2 is still an exemplary entry in the genre.


VideoGamer - Tom Bardwell - 8 / 10
Frostpunk 2 is a worthy sequel that ramps up the grit and immersion, but sheds some of the original's magic in the pursuit of innovation.


Wccftech - Chris Wray - 9 / 10
Frostpunk is an excellent looking, excellent sounding, and great playing organic growth and succession from the original. Spreading further along the wasteland, you have to balance more as you deal with politics, resources, factions, and ever more challenges, often including settling and building in new areas. Still a challenge, but more approachable, this is yet another city builder that will shine out amongst others.


Zoomg - Afshin Piroozi - Persian - 9 / 10
Overall, 11 Bit Studios has managed to create a highly respectable and valuable sequel for the first installment of this series in Frostpunk 2. The game has become significantly more extensive and detailed in almost every aspect, and in terms of content delivery, it reaches a more desirable level. This allows players to enjoy it for a longer period of time. If you’re interested in strategy and city-building games or if you were a fan of the previous version, Frostpunk 2 is something you must play.







 
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I loved the first game, had a really unique "holding on for dear life and trying to delay the inevitable by any means" vibe that tickled a part of my brain that no other game has, I guess it's similar to horde mode, or even tower defence, but neither of those have you weighing up with sacrifice to make for the greater good.

Main concern with this is that the DLCs for the original really showed that the "original" mode was by far the most fun and almost the perfect combination for this type of gameplay, so a sequel is going to be either more of the same, not as good, or so different it no longer scratches the same itch and starts just playing like other games we already have.

Watched the reviews and it sounds like a more generic city builder now, not a fan of the more zoomed out look. I want to see the orphans who's power I'm turning off to keep the generators running.
 
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